Touchscreen technology superimposes touch sensors on a display screen to merge display output and user input functions such that a user can directly interact with a displayed interface by touching portions the display screen. Over the years, computer devices that utilize touchscreen technology have become commonplace, from kiosks in public places to personal handheld devices.
A touchscreen displays images, icons, or buttons on a particular screen for user interaction. Oftentimes, a user must navigate through a series of screens in order to accomplish a particular task. Typical user interfaces on mobile devices require the user navigate through several different screens to perform a task.
For example, a person may want to make a phone call to a contact. The user may first have to navigate to a screen from which a phone dialing application may be launched and then click on the icon that corresponds to the phone dialing application. Upon launching the initial screen for the phone dialing application, the user may navigate to another screen to access a contact list. From there, the user may have to scroll through the contacts and select a contact, which may pull up another screen that displays all the contact information. From this screen, the user may see another menu asking what the user wants to do with the contact, or the user may have to scroll down to find the telephone number to call. In all, a user may have had to navigate through four of five separate screens before making a simple phone call.
In addition users may encounter different interfaces and navigation schemes when transitioning between applications. This takes some effort, and users may get confused as to where they are, how they arrived at the current screen, and how to go back to a previous screen. This is particularly common when a user interacts with an unfamiliar user interface.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved touchscreen user interface. In particular, there is a need for a touchscreen that allows efficient navigation without leaving the current context.